Waiting
by padfootsotter
Summary: The thing is, when you walk out, the people you leave, they keep on having a life. They don't wait for you to come back.


Takes place after a year 'Dead To Me'.

Aria sighed as she felt the first rain drop and pulled out her umbrella. "Great, just great." She looked in front of her and saw Jason's car. She began walking faster, her shoes getting wetter.

"Aria?" That voice. She hasn't heard or seen him in a year. She slowly turned around.

"Ezra?" She looked at him, he hasn't really changed in over a year. He was still the same Ezra.

"Hey," he smiled at her and she felt herself smile as well, "I've been looking for you everywhere." He took a step towards her and she unconsciously took a step back. He noticed and stopped walking, "How have you been?"

' _How have I been? Is he seriously asking me that?'_ It took all her strength not to yell at him.

 _A YEAR AGO_

" _He'll come back, he will Aria." Spencer stroked Aria's back as she felt her heartbreak for her best friend._

" _He hasn't been back for two weeks Spence. I need him." Aria sobbed as she clutched Spencer tighter. Emily and Hanna looked at each other and looked at their best friend._

" _Have you tried calling him?" Hanna asked as she sat down on the bed. "Has he called you back?" The only answer she got was another loud sob from Aria._

 _About an hour later the three friends managed to sedate Aria and walked out of her room quietly. "I'm going to kill Fitz, I mean really kill him." Spencer spoke quietly._

" _Get in line. Why do you think that he left?" Hanna asked._

" _He did find out he has a son, a seven year old one at that." Emily spoke, "I guess he doesn't want Aria to have that burden on her."_

" _Are you seriously making excuses for him?" Hanna asked flabbergasted, "He's a major douche."_

" _I just hope he comes back soon, otherwise I'm afraid that Aria's going to do something drastic?"_

" _Like dye her hair again?" Hanna asked snarkily and the other girls smirked._

Aria gulped, "I -uhm, good. How have you been?"

Ezra smiled at her again and she wished that he would stop, "Good. I missed you."

' _Oh god.'_ She nodded at him. "Sure."

"What does that mean?"

Aria took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "I think if you missed me then you wouldn't have been gone for a year."

"Aria-"

"NO! You don't get to 'Aria' me, you lost that right a year ago. I missed you Ezra and I always wondered why you left me but now I know." Aria felt her eyes dampen, "You wanted to have a family right? But just not with me, so when you met Maggie and saw Malcolm you felt everything was right, didn't you?" She looked away and focused on a tree on the other side of the road.

Ezra looked heartbroken and didn't speak for a while, "Aria, he's not my son."

Aria looked up, "What?"

"He's not my son. My _mother_ decided to have a DNA test, he's not my son."

"I'm sorry." Aria spoke, she walked up to him and hugged him, "I'm sorry Ezra."

Ezra wrapped his arms around her and inhaled her scent, my god how he missed her scent. "Aria," he broke off the hug and looked at her, "I missed you so much." He pulled her closer and looked at her lips, "Missed you so much." Before their lips could connect she pushed him away. "Aria?"

"This isn't fair Ezra, you were gone for a year and you can't just come back here and expect to pick up where we left off."

"Why not?"

"I can't Ezra. If you came and said these things to me six months ago I would have gladly lept into your arms. I changed Ezra, when you left me I changed." Aria took a couple of steps back and turned around. She saw Jason getting out of the car, his face marred in confusion.

"Aria, I love you."

"And I loved you Ezra, always will, you were my first love but you broke my heart too many times."

"We can go back together, we're Ezra and Aria."

"Not anymore."

"Why not?"

"You left me Ezra," she turned around and faced him, "and the thing is, when you walk out, the people you leave, they keep on having a life," Aria looked straight into Ezra's eyes, "they don't wait for you to come back."

Ezra looked at Aria feeling more broken hearted than before, this hurt more than finding out that Malcolm isn't his son. "Aria?"

"Aria?" She heard Jason and felt his arms go around her waist, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "I was just catching up with Ezra."

Jason looked at Ezra and narrowed his eyes, "Welcome back to Rosewood." He smiled pleasantly but Ezra knew better.

"Glad to be back." Ezra's smile was tight.

Aria looked at her watch, "We should get going if we want to make our reservation." She interlocked her hands with Jason. "Goodbye Ezra."

Jason nodded his farewell and walked with Aria to his car.

"Goodbye Aria." If you could hear a person's heartbreaking, people from China could have heard Ezra's heart breaking.


End file.
